Trap.



' No. 654,928. Patenfed my 3|, |900.

, T. H; TAYLOR.

TRAP.

(Application 81nd Apr. 2, 1900.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT EETCE.

THOMAS H. TAYLOR, OF ILZERNR NEW YORK.

TRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 654,928, dated July 31, 1900.

Application inea April 2', 1900. serial n0.11,149. (No man.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, THOMAS H. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Luzerne, in the county of Warren and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Trap, of which the following is a full, clear,'and exact description.

This invention relates to a trap for catching animals; andthe object is to provide a device which will be sure to entrap the animals and to kill them instantly.

The device is especially adapted to beplaced in a pathway or passage along which the animal is expected to move, in which case it will be quite impossible for the animal to avoid the trap.

This specification is the disclosure of one form of the invention, while the claims define the actual scope thereof.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention, and Fig. 2 is a sectional side View of the same.

Thetrap has a base which is formed of side bars ai, joined rigidly to a rear end bar a. The front ends o? of the side bars a are turned upward to form bearings receiving the trunnions b of the trip-plate b, which is mounted by its trunnions to oscillate on the base of the trap. The front edge 'of the trip-plate b is turned up and serves to form a jaw b2, and the trip-plate extends rearwardly, as illustrated in the drawings, its rear portion being free to swing as will be necessary during the operation of the trap.

The rear end bar a' has rigid arms c attached to its ends, these arms extending upward and then being bent outward in opposite directions, so as to carry the coil-springs d, which are respectively arranged thereon and which have arms d extended therefrom, such arms beingjoined at their free ends by a cross-bar d2, the parts cl and d2 forming a jaw member. The arms d may also be provided with an intermediate cross-bar dwhich serves not only as a handpiece to facilitate the adjustment of the trap,v but also as a means plate b in line with the trunnions b thereof.

The full lines in the drawings show the position of the trap when set, in which case the arms CZ are raised up against the tension of the springs d and the bail e is sustained on the step-pin f of the trip-plate, thus causing the trip-plate to assume the horizontal position shown, which is due to the fact that the step-pin f isv in line with the trunnions b', and the strain on the springs d on the trip-plate when the trap is set is evenly distributed on the' trip-plate.

The trap may be baited or not, as desired, and the animal approaching the same upon disturbing the equilibrium of the trip-plate will cause the bail e to move outward, as indioated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, and then the arms d will be deprived of their support, and the springs d will act to throw the arms down, causing the cross-bars d2 and d3 to throw up the trip-plate, with the cross-bar d2 just outside of the jaw b2. This will entrap the animal between the parts b and d2 and d3 and cause the animal to be killed and securely held.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. A trap having a base, a jaw member mounted thereon, a spring pressing said jaw member to throw it against thebase, a bail carried by the said jaw member, and a tripplate pivotally mounted on the base and engaged by the bail to hold the trap open, movement of the trip-plate releasing the bail to close the trap, the trip-plate having its front edge turned to form a jaw working with the said jaw member, and the jaw member engaging the trip-plate when the trap is closed.

2. A trap having a base,A a jaw member mounted thereon, a spring pressing thesaid jaw member to throw it towardthebase, and

a trip-plate pivotally` mounted on the base Iee and engaged by a part of the jaw member to neme to this specification in the presence of hold the trap open, movement of the trpp1at`e two subscribing Witnesses.

releasing the jaw member to close the trap, THOMAS H TAYLOR- and the trip-plate having a. j aw formed there- 5 0n Which Works with the first-namedV jaw Witnesses: member. THOMAS P. HALL E. DAYTON. I

In testimony whereof I have signed m55 

